The activities of TA Therapeutics, the joint venture with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), are being fully consolidated into Geron. Telomerase activator drug candidates have been advanced into early efficacy studies, including animal models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and in vitro studies employing immune cells from HIV patients. Geron plans to continue both efficacy and safety studies in order to advance a compound to human trials. The first patient was enrolled in a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of the telomerase inhibitor drug, imetelstat (GRN163L) for non-small cell lung cancer. The multi-center trial tests the efficacy and safety of imetelstat in combination with standard of care versus standard of care alone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted the clinical hold placed on Geron's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase 1 clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury. A collaboration was established with researchers at University Campus Suffolk (UCS) in the U.K. to develop human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived chondrocytes for the treatment of cartilage damage and joint disease. This collaboration is being jointly funded by Geron and with U.K. grants. Geron has exclusive rights to the technology for therapeutic applications.

Events Subsequent to Q3 2010

GE Healthcare launched the first human cellular assay product, human cardiomyocytes or heart muscle cells, for testing potential cardiac toxicity of candidate drug compounds in development. The first commercial sale of this product occurred in October 2010, triggering a milestone payment to Geron. The first patient was enrolled in the Phase 1 clinical trial of hESC-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, GRNOPC1. The primary objective of this Phase 1 study is to assess the safety and tolerability of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grade A thoracic spinal cord injuries.

Source: Geron Corporation